141.DAB

Coming straight from the 70's, this building was design as an office building. Three trays of offices were stacked covering the sidewalk on the ground level. Each floor has a open plan since it was built with a system of reinforced concrete columns and beams. This concrete frame was visible from the outside.

The goal of this heavy renovation was to diversify the functions. The ground floor is occupied by a restaurant while Offices are maintained on the first floor. The two upper floors and the attic have been transformed into apartments. It was also necessary to insulate the building envelope. the façade was aging very badly because of the cold bridges present at each interruption of the curtain wall by the concrete structure.

The facade has been renovated. The concrete structure has been preserved. It remains present in the form of a rigorous orthogonal grid. The gaps between the structures have been filled with insulated wooden structures. The residual spaces between the structures were transformated either in loggias or large windows.

Inside, the raw concrete structure has been cleared of its finishes. On the ceiling, the orthogonal grid that we find vertically on the facade is visible. Which gives a rythme to spaces. The old concrete is raw, marked, it shows the scars of successive transformations. It contrasts with the new shiny floor and the clean finish of the walls.